Demon Slayer: I am a Demon

"Are we late?"

Hiroshi Furukawa and the group of swordsmen stood silently in place, watching the scene before them.

The place that once held life and warmth is now nothing but a wreckage devoured by fire, silently breathing in the hazy morning mist.

The entire body was devoured, leaving only a white skeleton; ribs twisted in the flames; half a hand desperately stretched forward.

Everything tells the story of what happened here.

The girl wearing the fox mask squatted down, looking at the skeleton at her feet, where flesh and blood still lingered. The small skeleton indicated the identity of the child's owner.

Imagining the scenes that had once taken place here, Makomo couldn't help but tremble.

She had heard of the cruelty of demons and knew that they devoured people, but it was all just in her imagination. She had never seen a demon in person, no matter how cruel it was.

But now, seeing the scene of destruction caused by evil spirits, I realize that this cruelty is far more terrifying and unforgivable than I imagined.

"Is...this a demon?"

Makomo stared blankly at the horrific scene before her. She could imagine how happy the families who once lived here must have been, but everything had been completely destroyed and ruthlessly annihilated by the smell of blood.

"Yes, this is a demon."

Looking at the shocked Makomo, Hiroshi Furukawa gritted his teeth. What he had experienced was far more cruel than this. He had witnessed demons kill his father and eat his mother. He had faced it head-on...

Every time I think of it, I hear my parents' painful cries, and every time I think of it, I feel unbearable pain.

But for Makomo, this was the first time she had witnessed such a horrific scene, and she found it difficult to accept.

"Do these ghosts really have no humanity at all? They...they were once...human too!"

"Even as a demon, will you treat your former comrades this way?"

Seeing such a horrific scene for the first time was something Makomo could never have imagined.

Looking at the wreckage before him, and then at the dazed Makomo, Hiroshi Furukawa sighed softly.

"This... is a demon, a cruel and terrifying demon. Even if they were once human, the moment they became demons, they were no longer human. They became man-eating monsters."

"From the moment they turned into ghosts, we humans were nothing more than delicious, fragrant food in their eyes."

As he spoke, Hiroshi Furukawa stroked the hilt of his Nichirin Blade at his waist: "These demons all deserve to die. Every single one of them deserves to die. When you see them, just kill them with ruthless methods. No reason is needed."

"It's time to purge these... evil spirits."

Makomo, behind the fox mask, closed her eyes slightly, but the cruel scene before her eyes lingered in her mind. She couldn't help but think of her senior brothers and sisters who had participated in the "Fujikasayama" assessment, and Sabito. They... all perished among these demons, and then... were they eaten by the demons?

Just thinking about these things made Makomo's small hands clench slightly. At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind: to find this demon and cut off its neck.

At that moment, Makomo also suddenly understood why, even knowing that demon hunting is dangerous, so many people still choose this path every year.

Why choose to continue on the path of demon hunting, knowing that one might die along the way?

Because these ghosts are simply unforgivable.

"Search the surrounding area thoroughly and try to find any clues left behind by the ghost."

Hiroshi Furukawa spoke to his companion.

The swordsmen immediately began searching everywhere, trying their best to find any traces left by the ghost.

Makomo also joined the others in searching the same spot.

"If only I had my master's keen sense of smell."

As she searched, Makomo sighed. As a disciple of Urokodaki, Makomo naturally knew how sharp her master's sense of smell was. In a tragedy like the one that had just occurred, there would definitely be the scent of an evil spirit left at the scene. If her master were here, he could easily find the evil spirit by following those scents.

"Yes, if Lord Urokodaki were here, finding this demon would be too easy. Everyone knows Lord Urokodaki's abilities."

"Master is naturally the most skilled."

Hearing his beloved master being praised, Makomo was naturally very proud.

"Speaking of which, Ms. Makomo, I've always had some doubts."

Hiroshi Furukawa walked over, looked at Makomo, and asked with some curiosity, "Miss Makomo's skills are clearly quite impressive. Were you taught by Master Urokodaki?"

"Naturally, it was taught by my master."

Makomo answered without hesitation.

"That's very strange. If Miss Makomo's skills were taught by Lord Urokodaki, then Lord Urokodaki, as a 'trainer,' should be quite skilled. So why did his disciple fail to pass the Fujikasane Mountain test, and not even make it out alive?"

Makomo wanted to refute it, but didn't know how, after all, the facts were there.

"Speaking of which, with Makomo's abilities, you should actually be the one to take the 'Fujikasayama' exam this year. We've seen your strength, and passing the 'Fujikasayama' exam would be no problem at all."

Hiroshi Furukawa has some feelings about this.

"Junior Brother Sabito's strength is no less than mine."

Makomo argued in a low voice.

In fact, she had planned to go to the "Fujikasayama" assessment this year, but Sabito told her that one of the three of them had to stay behind. If none of them passed, there would only be Master Urokodaki left at Kyogiri Mountain. So, she stayed behind to take care of her master.

Hiroshi Furukawa didn't quite believe that Sabito's strength could compare to Makomo's. If he really could, then he would definitely succeed in this year's Fujikasane Mountain's new swordsman assessment.

"Boss, the news you asked us to gather about this year's new swordsmen of 'Fujikasayama' has come back."

A swordsman walked over.

Beside her, Makomo's small hands clenched tightly, her eyes still filled with expectation, but even more so with fear.

In fact, Master had already received the news about this year's "Mount Vine Assault" assessment. After receiving the news, Master sat alone on the mountaintop for several days. At that time, she probably already guessed the result.

Although... I guessed the outcome.

But deep down, there was still a lingering reluctance to believe it, and a sliver of hope—what if, just what if…

After all, she was well aware of Sabito's strength.

"How so?"

Hiroshi Furukawa began to speak.

The swordsman glanced at Makomo, then hesitated.

"From the moment I joined the Demon Slayer Corps, I was prepared to die on this path. Along the way, I will always experience the pain of losing my comrades."

Hiroshi Furukawa sighed softly. If even these things cannot be endured, then there is no need to walk the path of demon hunting.

"According to the information we received, Tomioka Giyuu, the disciple of Lord Urokodaki, successfully passed the 'Fujikaze Mountain' examination this time. Not only did Tomioka Giyuu pass this examination, but all the swordsmen who participated in this year's examination passed smoothly."

"Did they all pass?"

Hiroshi Furukawa found it hard to believe. The swordsman examination at Fujikasayama was always extremely rigorous, and only a few swordsmen could pass each year. There had never been a case where all of them passed smoothly.

"Where's the stag rabbit?"

Makomo's eyes lit up. If Giyu Tomioka passed the test, then Sabito should be able to pass as well. After all, Sabito is much stronger than Giyu Tomioka.

Sabito was his master's most prized disciple, and his master had high expectations for him. His master once said that his junior brother Sabito would definitely be able to awaken the "Scarlet Mark" in the future, which was something that many "Pillars" could not do, and he would become an extremely powerful swordsman.

"It must have failed. After the assessment, we didn't see Sabito. We heard that they only found a warding-off-disaster mask on the mountaintop. According to some of the people who passed, Sabito almost killed all the demons of 'Fujikasayama' by himself, but he seemed to have exhausted himself in the end..."

The swordsman whispered.

"How could this be...?"

Makomo, who had been elegant and quiet throughout the journey, unusually lost her composure.